During the 1800's Washington Irving was critical in American Literature's separation from Britain. He wrote the "Sketch Book" which included stories such as "Rip Van Winkle" and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". It was the first book by an American writer to become popular outside of the United States and helped establish American writing as a respectable form of literature. In "The legend of Sleepy Hollow" Irving's clever use of imagery and descriptive writing disguise …showed first 75 words of 599 total…

…showed last 75 words of 599 total…and food are seen frequently throughout "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". Irving is known for his skilled use of imagery in his tales, and the reader gets to analyze the meaning behind his words. He was the first American author to produce a popular book in the United States with his collection of stories in "The Sketch Book". Because of this, Washington Irving was crucial to the literary separation of the United States from Britain.